Manners matter. We all want our kids to be well-mannered citizens of the world and teaching them to be so shouldn’t have to be boring. 

While manners include everything from saying “please” and “thank you” to offering compliments and exhibiting proper etiquette at the dinner table, the easiest place to start teaching manners is with greetings. 

Proper greetings like “Hello” or “Good morning” are the first step for your little one to establish a relationship with a new friend or to make a great first impression with her teacher at the start of the school day.

Here are a few tips to help your little ones practice greeting phrases:

• Use Songs: There are so many bilingual songs to choose from but our favorite is the very simple but very fun “Hello, good morning”.  Watch our Little Chickies greet each other and greet the day in our catchy sing-along video here, and check out our YouTube education channel for more tunes. 

They can learn these phrases in English and in Spanish…so they can greet twice as many friends!

A simple “hello” in someone’s native language goes a long way to establish a connection with someone. Nothing makes a person smile more than knowing that a stranger is trying to speak to them in their own language.  Learning to say “hello” in multiple languages can be fun! 

Sing in English. Sing in Spanish. Sing in Spanglish! 

Sing every morning to salute the day with joy and to establish the behavior. 

• Role Play: Use your child’s favorite stuffed animals and throw a pretend tea party or birthday party.  Ask your child to greet each animal as he/she arrives at the party with phrases like “Hello” and “Thanks for coming.” 

You can respond with your most sweet bunny voice with “Hi. How are you?.” and with the most majestic wave of your elephant trunk with a “Nice to see you”. 

Act out shaking hands, paws, trunks, etc. and giving snuggly hugs.  Switch roles to allow your child to role play as his/her favorite lovie. 

Soon your little one will get the hang of it and start to realize how nice it feels to greet and be greeted with a warm welcome.

As you try these creative ways to help your little one learn the concept of greetings, don’t forget your own manners and express gratitude for their effort. “Thank you” and “Gracias” are among the sweetest words they can hear from you.

Birthdays are an excuse for parents to spoil their kids just a little more than on a typical day.  This is exactly what talented painter and baker, Cake Wars winner and Latina mom Alicia Becerra did when her daughter asked for a Canticos themed birthday party inspired by our ‘Las Manañitas’ book and bilingual song.

The celebration included a “Pin the Crown on Sammy” game, a handmade Solecito/Lunita piñata, hand painted cookies, as well as a party outfit inspired by Kiki Chickie.

The celebration featured Alicia’s famous hand painted cookies, which have been featured on the Food Network, Parents Magazine, BuzzFeed, and many others. 

Check out more beautiful photos from the sweet celebration here.

If you want to create your own Canticos-themed fiesta, check out our Birthday Kit, easy to download, print, and decorate for your perfect celebration of bilingualism. 

Encouraging your kids to develop good reading habits will not only be beneficial for them academically, it will also provide them with a lifelong skill to be successful in their adult years. As parents, it’s up to us to make reading, in both English and Spanish, a fun part of their bilingual education. Today I will share 5 easy tips to help you raise bilingual children at home:

1. Add reading to your everyday life

Instilling a passion for books goes beyond reading stories to and with them. Be the example! Let them see you reading a book, a magazine or an eBook every day. This will show them that reading is a powerful tool, especially if you alternate between English and Spanish books or only read books in your target language. 

Keep books everywhere at home and even in your car! If you make reading a part of your daily routine, your child will most likely look forward to this daily activity.

2. Turn reading into an enjoyable experience

If reading seems like homework to your kids, they will most likely find it tedious and boring. However, if you turn reading into a game, the learning experience will become more enjoyable.

There are easy games you can play with them, in both languages, such as asking to guess a word you have in mind: “I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with _________. Can you guess the word?” You can also switch roles and your child can ask you the questions.

3. Be encouraging and patient

Every child is unique and learns at a different pace. Some may pick up reading quickly while others may need more time. Calmly correct your children for missed words and praise them for how well they read a passage or a sentence. In this instance, consistency is key!

4. Repeat the story, build vocabulary

There might be a story that your child loves and asks you to repeat time and time again. While it may seem tiring, take advantage of this opportunity to incorporate new words and help develop a greater vocabulary. Once your child knows the story, ask him to share it using his own words!

5. Don’t forget about writing!

Reading and writing go hand-in-hand. Ask your child to create a list of various items around the house. Once the list is complete ask him to read the list back to you. Work on any misspelled words or mispronunciations while remembering to praise the effort!

To instill a love of reading, in both languages, among your children, you can find these and other tips on ReadConmigo.org. Read Conmigo, a bilingual literacy program sponsored by Infinity Insurance, provides several resources to help your child become a stronger reader. After signing up to our bilingual program, you’ll have access to dozens of free bilingual books as well as other educational apps in Spanish and fun activities for the little ones in the family.

About the author:

Fabi is a first generation college graduate who received degrees in Business from Pepperdine University and UCLA.  She is Infinity’s Multicultural Marketing Manager and Director of the National Read Conmigo bilingual book program which mails free bilingual books to families looking to encourage a love for culture and bilingualism in the home. As an immigrant, born and raised in Mexico, and a mom to three amazing kids, she believes in empowering our youth to grow and give back to our community while never forgetting the beauty of our roots and culture. 

Readers can find more tips at ReadConmigo.org and @readconmigo. For any questions or comments, you can email Fabi at [email protected].